Presenting drastically conflicting depictions of a May 4 altercation in their Old Greenwich home, WABC-TV weatherman Bill Evans and his estranged wife, Dana Evans, appeared in state Superior Court in Stamford on Tuesday to be arraigned on charges of disorderly conduct and third-degree assault.

Neither spouse entered a plea, but Bill Evans, an Emmy-winning meteorologist for Channel 7, applied for the court's Family Violence Education Program, which could lead to the charges being expunged from his record.

Both were issued partial protective orders, which allow them to contact each other, but prohibit any threats or violence. Violation of the order would be considered a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Documents filed with the court present two very different accounts of what led to the charges.

In an affidavit, Greenwich Police Officer Kristen Lindstrom stated that on the evening of May 19, Dana Evans sought her out to report an incidence of domestic violence. During the meeting, Evans detailed a physical altercation between her and her husband in their home at 49 Tomac Ave. in Old Greenwich some two weeks earlier, and expressed her desire to file a formal complaint.

According to the affidavit, Dana Evans was attempting to rearrange several cars in the family's driveway at around 10:30 p.m. on May 4, when she went to her and Bill Evans' private bedroom to retrieve his keys. A disagreement over the keys escalated, the affidavit states, resulting in Bill allegedly grabbing Dana by the left wrist and Dana throwing the keys across the room. The affidavit asserts that in the ensuing struggle, Dana was shoved and forced to the floor. Bill allegedly blocked her path to the doorway, preventing her from exiting the room, and proceeded to shove her again. Dana Evans asserts that Bill Evans struck her with his right fist on the right side of her face, around the eye area. After stumbling backward, Dana allegedly grabbed a wooden coat hanger on the bed and used it to strike Bill several times while trying to leave the room.

Dana Evans told Lindstrom that, during the scuffle, she had received a small cut, about an inch in length, between her thumb and index finger, from which she was bleeding, as well as bruising on her collarbone and right eye. Pictures of the injuries taken with Dana Evans' iPhone caused Lindstrom, to subsequently request a warrant for Bill Evans' arrest on "appropriate charges," according to the affidavit.

But Phillip Russell, who is representing Bill Evans, asserted the situation was less straightforward, and that Dana's going to the police was motivated not by the incident itself, but by lengthy divorce proceedings that have drawn on since May 2012. He called the allegations "divorce by 911."

"It is not pretty," Russell said, "but (Dana) went to police on advice that it would help in their divorce case. Our hope and prayer is that the case gets resolved and forgotten because it never should have been brought in the first place."

The account provided by Bill Evans paints a very different picture than his wife's. According to a court document he and Russell filed, the altercation began verbally, shortly after Bill Evans' return from a charity event at approximately 10:30 p.m. May 4. Upon entering the family room, Dana Evans began to berate Bill in the presence of their children, reportedly claiming that "he does not live in the marital home and that he is not wanted there," according to the document. She then demanded Bill Evans leave the room, on the grounds that it was her parenting time.

After returning to the bedroom, according to the account, his eldest child informed Bill of the need to move his car in the driveway, which he agreed to do when he was finished changing.

"Immediately thereafter," the document reads, "the Plaintiff (Dana Evans) entered the Defendant's room and began behaving erratically and very angry. The Plaintiff grabbed the Defendant's bag and began to search through it for keys."

Bill allegedly asked for his keys so he could move the car. Dana responded by hitting him twice in the face with the keys in hand. Similar to Lindstrom's affidavit, Dana allegedly threw the keys and Bill went to retrieve them, though in his account, he asserts Dana proceeded to punch and jump on his back and attempted to kick him in the groin. When Bill implored her to leave the room, "she grabbed the waistband of the Defendant's underwear and then grabbed and scratched the Defendant's scrotum causing it to bleed," according to the account. Dana reportedly then beat him with the wooden coat hanger, relenting only when it broke.

Bill alleges he smelled alcohol on Dana's breath during the episode.

The one thing both accounts agree on is that the altercation stopped when the couple heard their children, who had gathered outside the room.

Russell and Bill Evans' statement contends Dana Evans "has repeatedly violated the ... 2013 Parenting Agreement," signed in March. In other documents, they specify several instances prior to the May 4 altercation where they claim she violated various behavioral stipulations, including by bad-mouthing him to or in front of their children.

Dana Evans filed for divorce in April 2012 after 18 years, citing that her marriage with Bill Evans had broken down beyond repair. Under the couple's parenting agreement, Bill Evans pays Dana Evans just under $25,000 per month.

If he is accepted into the Family Violence program, Bill Evans will be required to attend classes in anger and violence management as an alternative to formal prosecution.

Dana Evans declined comment as she walked out of the courthouse Tuesday.

"Divorces can be very emotional, but we are confident that in due time she will be cleared of the charges," said her attorney, Mark Sherman, adding that his client was looking forward to life getting back to normal.